


Help

by witchymarvelspacecase



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-04-27 22:15:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14435235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchymarvelspacecase/pseuds/witchymarvelspacecase
Summary: @imhereforbvcky cannon challenge: ”Would you just let me help you?”





	Help

Being among the Avengers every day was enough to give a girl an inferiority complex. Seriously, Tessa wondered why the  _ fuck _ she was there at least twice a day. Then again, there were almost as  many moments where she realized that the Avengers desperately needed a dose of normality. Sam and Scott were the only two in the group who seemed to have a “life” outside their hero-life. And they were frequently gone, so it fell to Tessa to be the reality check.

She was essentially the team’s assistant, so she did a little of everything. It took a few months, but Tessa had eventually stopped trying to tell the team that, no, she was not qualified to help calibrate whatever piece of lab equipment was needed, or to help them fix some vehicle or another. She’d just spend her off time reading user’s manuals and how-to guides. The Avengers saved people the least she could do was try to become a bit more helpful.

Downside? Most of the time she helped resulted in some form of personal injury or another. Usually, it was just a bruise, or a small cut. Nothing to complain about, so she didn’t. More often than not, she wouldn’t say anything to the team at all, and usually, no one noticed. But occasionally, the injuries were a bit more obvious, and though she’d do her best, at least one person would notice. Most of the time, that person was Sam or Tony.

“Is she limping again?” Sam asked quietly as he leaned against the breakfast bar beside Tony. Tessa was across the room, moving to sit on the couch beside Steve.

“Yeah,” Tony confirmed, “what was she doing yesterday?”

“I think she was helping Steve and Barnes in the garage again.”

“What about me an’ Steve in the garage?” Bucky asked as he walked into the room.

“We’re trying to figure out what Tessa was doing when she hurt herself this time.” Sam explained, still watching her.

“She was helping move some of the bikes. One of them bumped her pretty hard, but she said she was fine…” Bucky said turning to look at Tessa too, “how often has she been gettin’ hurt?”

“Pretty much weekly, if not daily. She never says anything though.” 

The three men watched as she stood to meet Natasha and followed her out of the room; all of them seeing the slight hitch in her step.

“Has anyone talked to her about it?” Bucky asked.

“Yeah, a couple times,” Sam said, “she always smiles and promises that she’s fine, or says she’s just sore, or she slept funny or whatever.”

Tony was used to brushing his pain aside, ignoring anything that would slow him down, or make him look as weak as he felt, recently, he’d become more aware of that tendency. As such, he was also more aware of other people doing the same thing. He had made a habit of calling out his teammates for it, not that they took him seriously at first, they didn’t want to listen, but eventually, he would either trick them into accepting his help, or he would simply become more and more annoying until they caved for no other reason than to get him to let off. Either way, Tony had a weird, but effective way of taking care of the people around him.

Tessa had a similar tendency, though she didn’t have to stoop to annoying the Avenger’s into compliance, she’d just prod and they’d fold. She assumed it was because they didn’t see her worry as something to be offended by; she was like the house mother. Another difference, Tessa seemed unaware of her pain. Or not, she felt the pain, but she acted like her pain wasn’t important, or worth taking care of.

Tony, Sam, and Bucky stood in the kitchen a while longer, wondering if the rest of the team had noticed as well, before dispersing, each promising that they’d watch out for Tessa.

_ “Not that it will help much,”  _ Tony thought as he headed to his lab,  _ “she’s never complained before, I doubt she will now.” _

It did change however, when Tessa fell off a ladder after one of Tony’s parties. She’d been helping clean up, and had noticed a bunch of confetti stuck on the wall. Instead of telling anyone else, she had opted to clean it herself, and it probably would have been fine, if she had checked that the ladder was locked, but she didn’t. And she was in her room on bed rest because of it.

Tessa thought that the team’s reaction was overdramatic. Honestly, you’d think she was at death’s door the way they all hovered around her. Sure, her whole body was like one giant bruise, and just breathing hurt, but as usual, she insisted that she was fine. Insisted that the team go and do what they needed to do, she didn’t need them babying her.

And so it was, that a few days later, left to her own devices, Tessa had snuck out of her room, and into her small office. She had some scheduling to check on and correspondence with the children’s hospital that she needed to keep up with, it wasn’t anything strenuous, so she didn’t see the harm.

But when Tony went to check in on her and found her room empty, he flipped. He knew she hadn’t left the building, FRIDAY had locked down her elevator access so she couldn’t have even left her floor. He knew she was in her office, but he was still pissed.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

“Jesus  _ fuck _ , Tony! You’re gonna give me a heart attack!” Tessa yelped as she jolted in her chair, the movement causing all of her injuries to twinge and pull.

“Imagine how I felt when I went to check on you and found you weren’t there!” Tony almost growled as he crossed the room to stand in front of her desk, “You’re supposed to be in bed resting.”

“Well I have shit to do. You wouldn’t let me have my computer in my room, so I have to come to my office,” Tessa said as she straightened a small pile of papers on her desk that she had jostled slightly when Tony had startled her.

“Cause you weren’t supposed to be working. You’re supposed to be  _ resting _ . I know you, you won’t rest if there’s a computer. Gods  _ forbid _ you not take advantage of spreadsheet availability.”

Tessa snorted. “Look, I appreciate it Tony. But I’m fine. I’m sore, but I’m fine. There’s stuff that needs to be done, and I need to do it so that you all can do what needs to be done. Your jobs are important. I can’t do your job, but I can help you do it.” Tessa shot Tony a look. She knew he was trying to help, but honestly, it made her feel worse that he was wasting time worrying about her. He had so many more important things to be worrying about, like saving the world, she felt horrible for taking his time away from that.

Tony was searching for a way to explain to Tessa that  _ she _ was important, that the team wanted her to be healthy and happy. That  _ he  _ wanted her to be healthy and happy. He struggled for a moment before Tessa stood up and tried to walk to the shelf to the side of her desk and almost collapsed.

As she stood, Tessa knew it was a bad idea, but how else would she get what she needed? Ask Tony? No, she could cross a few feet by herself, no need to bother Tony. But when the simple movement of stepping on her right foot had her gasping as her leg gave out beneath her, Tessa had a second to berate herself before Tony helped her anyway.

Tony caught her just before she hit the floor, pulling her gently to his chest. The fall wouldn’t have done too much damage, but all Tony could see was what she had looked like when he’d found her after FRIDAY had alerted him to her fall from the ladder.

“ **Would you just let me help you** ?” he mumbled, barely audible, but Tessa turned her head, trying to look at him. “I just- I  _ want  _ to help you. You don’t have to handle this shit while you’re hurt.”

“But I-” Tessa started but Tony cut her off.

“I get the feeling you think that asking for help is bothering us somehow,” Tony said, watching Tessa’s reaction, he realized he was right. He turned her so that she was facing him, still held in his arms. “It’s not. Definitely not. You know that right? We help each other. I mean fuck, Cap goes  _ out of his way _ to ask to help people, so why do you think it would be a bother to help you? You’re family.” Tessa’s eyes widened. “You’re as much a part of the team as any of us Tessa. You help us  _ all the time _ , so let us help you for now. Let  _ me _ help you,” Tony was almost out of breath by the time he finished.

Tessa’s eyes were still wide, and now filling with tears. She knew she helped the team, knew that they were helpful, kind people, but she  _ had _ assumed she’d be a burden. She  _ had _ thought she would bother them if she asked for help. They thought of her as a part of the team?!

Ignorant to Tessa’s thoughts, Tony could only see her eyes welling up. “Oh honey,” he said quietly, “don’t cry. You know I don’t know what to do with tears.” He brushed away the few tears that spilled down her cheeks away with a soft, self deprecating smile.

“Sorry,” Tessa said, her voice strained as she tried to keep in the sobs that wanted to spill out, “I didn’t think- I didn’t want to bother anyone.”

“And I’m here to tell you that it couldn’t  _ ever _ bother any of us.”

Tessa nodded, dropping her forehead to Tony’s chest just above the scarred place where his arc reactor used to be. “C- could you help me back to my room?” she asked.

Tony smiled, “of course, honey.” Tony bent slightly, picking her up and carrying her out of the office.

“Thank you, Tony.”

“No problem Tessa.”

She was fast asleep by the time Tony reached her door, so he pulled back her blankets as best he could before laying her on the bed and covering her back up.

He took a moment before leaving the room, brushing her hair from her forehead and pressing a kiss to her hairline. As he left the room, Tony instructed FRIDAY to let him know when Tessa woke up, so she couldn’t sneak out again, then he went to talk to the rest of the team. Sounds like their assistant needed and assistant… par for the course with the Avengers he supposed.


End file.
